Tuesday, March 30, 2010

For those of you who were anticipating the release of my Kawaiijufigures, there might not be much more of a wait! These are hand sculpted figurines that I call "Kawaiiju" ("Kawaii" is the Japanese word used to describe anything cute, and "Kaiju" means mysterious beast-- so this is a blending of the two!).

I've completed 16 figures so far, and I'm pressing on with more! Enjoy these pics... more to come!!!

Monday, March 22, 2010

So... a funny thing happened this past week: my hard drive went ta-tas up. Hopefully the things stored on that drive can be salvaged, because I have pictures of almost every custom I have ever made in there. They mean a lot to me.... a LOT.

I don't need to hear anyone say, "You should have backed up your files." Believe me; I know that now.

I'll have extremely limited access to the internet in the next few days, possibly weeks, but if anyone really needs to get ahold of me feel free to call if you have the number, or email me at monsterforge@yahoo.com.

Thanks for following the blog... I'll have some updates next time I pop up. I'm working on something BIG.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I made this little critter for my friend Krakit a while back, and he was good enough to take some pictures of it to share with everyone (he digs monsters with big eyeballs!).

It started its life as a Planet 51 Kids' Meal toy from Burger King. I found it for ten cents at a thrift store I frequent. You can see the original toy below beside the one I worked on:

It was as easy as cracking the thing open, removing the eye in the center (it's connected to the inside back of the toy by a spring so that it vibrates like a hipster on caffeine), painting the eye up, putting it back together, painting the outside, and glazing it with gloss finish. The hardest part, hands down, was the cracking it open bit. That thing was determined to stay in one piece. I worked and worked and worked on getting it to open up without damaging the outside of the figure.

It amazed me how much detail was sculpted onto that guy-- painting it was a breeze because it has such a cool texture. That's definitely one of the cooler kid's meal toys I have seen in a long time.

You can find cool toys to paint up all over the place! You don't have to spend an arm and a leg-- this little booger was only ten cents. Now... let's see what you can find for cheap to work with! Go! Go! Go!!!!!

'Predators' on the loose in Texas -- the hunt is back onMarch 13, 2010

It's a big weekend for "Predators," the promising Fox film that began the ramp-up to its July 7 release with a sneak peek at South by Southwest in Austin. I just got off the phone with the film's director, Nimród Antal, and he seemed to be pulsing with enthusiasm.

"This is gasoline," the filmmaker said using an appropriately petroleum-based description for the film's building buzz at the Lone Star State gathering."We're very excited."

Antal is coming off the 2009 film "Armored" which did not go over well with critics although more than a few pointed out the filmmaker's flair in the ultimately disappointing heist movie. If the L.A. native needed a mentor, he's certainly got one with this revival of the well-known sci-fi franchise; "Predators" is a product of Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Texas and Rodriguez came up with the story. Antal said the property and the producer made this a dream gig for him.

"I grew up with 'Predator,' I loved it, I had the poster on my wall and it was a big thing for me," he said. "And working with Robert was amazing, he was unlike any other producer I've ever worked with. It was intimidating at first but it was a gift as the work went on. He knows when to leave a filmmaker alone and when to help, it was great for me."

The first "Predator" film, released in 1987, was directed by John McTiernan (who would go on to "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October") off a script by Jim and John Thomas. It starred not only Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers but also the signature work of creature-creator Stan Winston and his team. The plot: An elite commando team goes into the jungles of Central America to rescue some kidnapped airmen but find they are the prey of an alien creature with advanced technology who has come to Earth on an interstellar hunting safari.

The movie is one of the best-regarded sci-fi action films of its decade and its alien hunter proved so popular that he and his kind popped up in three more films ("Predator 2" in 1990, "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" in 2004 and "AVPR: Aliens vs Predator -- Requiem" in 2007) as well as in comics, video games and toys.

"Why was that first movie so special? If I could answer that I would bottle it up and sell it," Antal said. "There were so many elements that came together. It was like a really good band playing together. If one person is off, it doesn't work but when everybody is on, it's just magic. It was excellent film making by McTiernan, you had Arnold, the score, Stan Winston, the script. It was magic."

The sequels, well, they weren't nearly as special and Antal said the reason was "bad choices" when it came to tone. "The later movies lost the tension and the suspense of the hunt. They whole building the stress up during the hunt and the big reveal of the alien was lost as the movies went along. You see more and more of the alien and get less and less of the mood and tension."

(SPOILER ALERT: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS PLOT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW FILM)

The new film wipes much of the slate clean and, in narrative, goes back to a point not long after the events of the first film. The aliens, surprised to find that one of theirs has been killed on Earth, want to study humans in a controlled environment and so they pluck killers of different sorts (convicts, organized-crime killers, mercenaries, etc) from around the globe and take them to a preserve environment where a new hunt begins. The film stars Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, Lawrence Fishburne and Alice Braga as the confused humans who are suspicious of one another and not exactly team players. More than that, they find that there may be a serial killer in their own ranks as they tramp through the underbrush one step ahead of their high-tech hunters.

"They are all predators in their own right and they are at each others throats," Antal said. "We're expanding the mythology but we're also making a stand-alone film. And, I hope this doesn't sound arrogant, but when it comes to imagery that not one of the previous can come close to. I'm very proud of the way the film looks."

Those are big words from Antal and fans will take them seriously and deliver their own verdict. Welcome to the jungle, Mr. Antal, the hunt is on. . .

— Geoff Boucher

======================

WOW.

I looked up the director, Nimród Antal. It seems this is his 4th film; he directed Kontroll (2003 Hungary), Vacancy (2007 USA), Armored (2009 USA), and now this one. I haven't seen any of his other films, but his first movie, Kontrol, was showered with awards. Predators is produced by Robert Rodriguez, so someone with serious cash and cajones is backing it. The premise is nice and creepy-- I guess time will tell. Every time lately I've gotten excited about a movie I've been let down BIG time. Hopefully this one won't do the same.

It's about darn time the big hunters were back on the screen as a serious threat-- Predator is one of my all-time favorite movies...EVAR. I like the direction they're taking with this one... let's hope it kicks serious butt!

Friday, March 12, 2010

I'm one of those warped sickos who listens better when he's sketching than he does when he's staring you in the eye. I used to get in trouble in school for doing it, but as soon as they made me stop my grades went down. Weird, huh?

Every Sunday I sit in church and draw. I have done so ever since I was a kid. Mrs. Ada Poplin was a very strong pillar of the church I grew up in, and she was one of my favorite people in the world when I was a child. Every Sunday when I'd sit by her she'd hand me a pencil and a little pad of paper, and I'd doodle for an entire hour. To this day I carry a little bundle of paper in my Bible every week so I can doodle for an entire hour.

Here are a few doodles I've thrown together from different weeks. Hope you enjoy 'em:

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I guess one of the worst things about being a creative person are these sweeping bouts of self-doubt that plague me. I didn't have a fun time in my college art program, and I have long questioned my place in the art world.

Sometimes I think I'll never lose those feelings.

In a way that's bad, but I think almost anything bad can be used for good. If we don't doubt ourselves sometimes we can wind up being pompous jerks who assume we're always right. Some artists don't doubt themselves. Some artists are unbearable, egotistical jerks. I'd rather be a self-doubting loser who makes neat things some times than a self-important artiste. I'd rather keep on learning new things than assume that I know everything.

The kind words of people who appreciate me as an artist and care for me as a person have convinced me to keep on creating and posting my creations for the public. I can't thank you guys enough. You guys rule.

Sheesh... that was the shortest hiatus I have ever seen. Artists are so weird.

Enough yacking about myself... look at this:

This is a drawing I did of Callgrim, a character created by Jesse Moore of RawShark Studios (I heard somewhere that the idea actually originated from his son's imaginative mind, but I'm not 100% sure). Callgrim is a bad-to-the-bolt dude for hire in the tradition of The Man With No Name and Boba Fett. He's part of the Glyos System action figure line. You should go check out the new animated feature up on Jesse's site-- you will NOT be disappointed! While you're there, be sure to check out the store for extra awesome action figures of Jesse's characters!

Monday, March 8, 2010

I don't post sketches very often. One of my professors in college liked my sketches, but hated my finished work. He kinda hated me too, but that's cool. Fun times. I figured: "Why not show some sketches?"

So here are some sketches of a Godzilla redesign I've been working on for a while now. I'm trying to make him more like an animal without making him like the giant lizard in the American Godzilla movie. I'm trying hard not to copy the look that William Stout created when he was commissioned to redesign Godzilla for a never produced American remake. That creature was a thing of beauty.

Enough yacking:

I hope those aren't too yucky. Metal makes me draw all crazy-like.

I'm going to be taking a break from creating for a while. I've been having some personal difficulties lately, and I need to do some soul searching about my future as an artist. I don't think I get what art is all about-- I don't get what it means to be an artist. I've been making things since I could hold a crayon in hand, but I'm seeing more and more every day that I just don't understand art. I don't identify with artists like everyone else does. I've never claimed to be a smart person, and I've never really made good decisions. Maybe this is the right decision for me.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Everyone knows who Ultraman is! If you don't then I feel sorry for you, because he rules. This is Ultraman:

Dunny is a toy made by Kidrobot that is the perfect base for making cool customs. This is a Dunny:

This is what you get when you combine the two:

ULTRADUNNY!!!

I was inspired looking at the awesome customs of PSYCHO515 HOLOCHAU5T over at Toxic Figures Kingdom. Mine is no where near as cool as his, but I'm happy enough for now.

I kinda just let loose and didn't mind being sloppy when I made it-- it was kinda fun making a custom for myself!

My mom saw it and said, "It looks like that bad baby on that cartoon you watch." (Meaning Stewie Griffin from Family Guy). He really does look like Stewie in an Ultraman outfit! That's a pretty disturbing thought, actually...